I saw some gentlemen filling potholes on a notoriously bad road in Memphis, TN. They were equipped with a truck full of asphalt, a couple of shovels, a metal rake and a tamp. It seems as if the winter ice and freezing temperatures had caused some structural problems in the road.

The gentlemen filling the potholes helped me to remember some of my own problems that I have tried to fix using a minimal amount of tools and resources, as well as the poor results I achieved along with them.

I have always been a “quick-fix” kind of guy. Put a patch over the problem and hope it goes away. If there is an issue then I will psych myself up and say, “I’m gonna be a new person. I’m turning over a new leaf. I see things differently now. Starting tomorrow, I will fill my potholes.”

This type of thinking never worked very well. I could muster enough self-will to fill in a few holes but the underlying problems remained. My issues were so deep-seated that what showed up on the surface was the result of much deeper problems.

Fortunately, I know people who know what it takes to make real change. Their advice was to stop messing with patching the holes and shut down the entire interstate. These folks know what a period of reconstruction looks like. They informed me that it would take more than a few shovels, a couple of people, and some asphalt. It takes entire teams, equipment, engineers, structural restorations, complete re-builds, and, most important, road closures and detours.

Sure, it was nice to believe that maybe I had just “lost focus” and all I needed was to fill in some gaps and make a few adjustments but when the potholes kept popping up, I had to come to the realization that some major work was necessary.

Shutting down for reconstruction is never easy and will always be an inconvenience but sometimes it has to be done to make everyone’s journey a little bit more smooth.

At some point, I had to realize that the road I travel is shared by others and the least I can do is keep my lane maintained and the road as smooth as possible.

When the road gets bumpy, sometimes you gotta put up the barricades and shut it down for a little while. The end result will be worth the wait.

Have a great day.

Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,

Beefcake